


Regarding Food, His Attitude

by Katherine



Category: The Lion King (1994)
Genre: Bugs, Gen, Hakuna Matata, Jungle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 03:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20284738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: "Theymostlydon't fight back," Pumbaa muttered, as he rubbed the sore place on his snout where a beetle had got him instead of him getting it for a snack.





	Regarding Food, His Attitude

"They _mostly_ don't fight back," Pumbaa muttered, as he rubbed the sore place on his snout where a beetle had got him instead of him getting it for a snack.

"Watch out for the ones with the pinchy things on the front end," Timon confided to Simba, before patting Pumbaa with brisk sympathy. Simba quickly learned to be careful of pinchy bugs, along with other aspects of his new diet.

In lean times lion cubs would have to eat last, even if one was a prince, because the most important thing was keeping up the strength of the pride adults. The king had to be strong to patrol and defend; the lionesses had to be to hunt. Simba knew that from stories.

In his own short life there had always been plenty in the Pride Lands. His mother often had given him choice pieces of prey. He liked zebra best, and he missed the taste of that. (Missed his mother's attention. His father's lessons. Running with Nala. Even Zazu's stuffy comments and Uncle Scar's jokes.)

Simba tried every striped beetle and bug, but none of those tasted even a little bit like zebra. Here in the jungle got to pick what he wanted to eat (out of bugs or grubs). He didn't have to wait around for the pride's lionesses to bring back a meal. There wasn't a pride here, to make rules. Timon let him stay up way past what his bedtime used to be, although Pumbaa fussed sometimes and said a growing lion needed rest.

Simba wasn't lonely. The jungle was fun. Pumbaa and Timon kept reminding him that he didn't have any worries. When he curled up tightly at night and wished impossibly for the pride he had left behind, Simba wasn't worrying. He was only remembering.


End file.
